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Knaucnce of Kelt'sion on 2litin-ti>. 



DISCOURSE 



IN COMMEMORATION OF 



THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS, 



DELIVERED AT PLYMOUTH, 



DECEMBER 22, 1830. 



BY BENJAMIN B. WISNER, 
Pastor of the Old South Church in Boston. 






/ 



PERKINS & MARVIN, 114, WASHINGTON STREET. 



183L 



At a Meeting of the Pilgrim Association, held at Plymouth, Dec. 22, 
1830; 

Resolved, That the thanks of this Association be presented to the Rev. Dr. 
WisxER for the Discourse delivered by him, this day, in commemoration of 
the Landing of our Pilgrim Fathers ; and that he be very respect- 
fully and earnestly requested to furnish a copy for publication. 
A true extract from the minutes, 



ELIJAH DEXTER, P"'^^ "{o'fem'"^'"''' 



To the Rev. Dr. Wisner. 
Dear Sir, 

In the above expression of thanks, and in the request for the pub- 
lication of your Discourse, we most cordially unite in behalf of the Third 
Congregational Church, and those associated with it in the religious services 
of this day. 

Very respectfully, 

your most obedient servants. 



ANDREW MACKIE,^ ^ .^^ . 
JOSIAH ROBBINS, V ^f^^^^"^^ V 
F. FREEMAN, ^Arrangements. 



Plymouth, Dec. 22, 1830. 



/ 



iU^I 



SERMON. 



»«>So. 



Deuteronomy xxxii. 9, 10, 11, 12. 

THE lord's portion IS HIS PEOPLE ; JACOB IS THK LOT OF HIS INHERITANCE. 
HE FOUND HIM IN A DESERT LAND, AND IN THE "WASTE HOWLING WILDER- 
NESS ; HE LED HIM ABOUT, HE INSTRUCTED HIM, HE KEPT HIM AS THE 
APPLE OF HIS EYE. AS AN EAGLE STIRRETH UP HER NEST, FLUTTERETH 
OVER HER YOUNG, SPREADETH ABROAD HER WINGS, TAKETH THEM, BEAR- 
ETH THEM ON HER WINGS J SO THE LORD ALONE DID LEAD HIM, AND 
THERE WAS NO STRANGE GOD WITH HIM. 

The occasion on which we are assembled is sacred to 
the memory of the Puritans. Besides the descendants of 
Jacob, no class of men have been made the instruments of 
so much good. The infidel historian of England, — " who," 
it has been justly said,* " through the whole course of his 
history, lies in wait for an opportunity of throwing discredit 
upon the cause of both religion and liberty," and who, as 
every one knows that has any acquaintance with his writings, 
bore a specially malignant hate against the Puritans, — even 
Hume has said, that, in Great Bri ain, " the precious spark of 
Hberty" was "kindled, and was preserved, by the Puritans 
alone ; and it was to this sect, whose principles," in his view, 
" appear so frivolous and habits so ridiculous, that the Eng- 
lish owe the whole freedom of their constitution."! And to 
them, of course, we may add, are mankind indebted for all 
the influence of the example and the power and the benevo- 

* By the English translator of the " Essay on the Spirit and Influence of the Re- 
formation by Lulher, by Charles Villers, 8vo. London, 1805.'' p. 108, Note, 
t History of England, iii. 76. Philadelphia, Svo. 18'2'2. 



Icnce of tlie Britisli nation in diffusing the blessings of free- 
dom and of Christianity ihrougli the earth. And here, on 
this western continent, the Puritans were the principal instru- 
nients in founding institutions that are now blessing more 
than twelve millions of people with domestic, social, civil and 
religions privileges in an extent and a purity never before 
known, and which are the admiration and the envy of the 
world. These institutions, if they shall be faithfully pre- 
served and adequately extended, and our population shall 
advance as heretofore, will, in this land, before the children 
of some now living shall die, make thus happy two hundred 
millions of human beings. And from tliese institutions has 
gone forth an influence, which has already emancij)ated from 
the yoke of foreign despotism this whole continent ; greatly 
meliorated the condition of the entire European population ; 
shaken to its foundation, in that quarter of the globe, every 
fabric of civil and ecclesiastical tyranny ; and promises to be, 
in the hand of Providence, the chief instrument of overturn- 
ing and overturning and overturning in the earth, till, every 
where, " the yoke of" the people's " burden " shall be 
"broken," and ''the oppressed" set "free," and "right- 
eousness " shall " spring forth before all nations," and " the 
work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of right- 
eousness, quietness and assurance forever."* Noble and 
signally honored race ! In them, next after the seed of 
faithful Abraham, it seems, is to be fulfilled the promise. In 
you " shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. "f 

How WERE THEY PREPARED FOR BEING THEMSELVES SO 
SIGNALLY BLESSED, AND TO OTHERS SO SIGNAL A BLESSING ? 

This, it is at once perceived, is a radical and most impor- 
tant inquiry. The inhabitants of Spain or Italy could never 

* Isaiah ix. 4 ; Iviii. G; Ixi. 11 ; xxxii. 17. 

+ Says Villers, a Ficiioli writer, in his Essay ah-eady referred to, written in 1802, 
" Amoiijj the vast ntinihur of remote and immediate causes whicli contrii)uted to liiis 

fjreal event [tlie first French revolution] must not be forjfotten liic American repub- 
ic." " Wiio can tell wlial may happen to botii worlils fiom llic sodiu-ing example of 
thai independence whicii tlie Americans obtained by coni|ucsi ? What new position 
would the world acfiuire, if that example were followed .' And without doubt, in the 
end, it will be so." p. 2W. 



have established and perpetuated the New England colonies, 
and accomplished the North American revolution. There 
must be a certain preparation, a particular character formed, 
before free institutions can be established among a people 
upon a permanent basis. 

There must, in the first place, be a general diffi-ision of 
sufficient intelligence to enable the mass of the people to 
understand and vindicate their rights. History has demon- 
strated, and therefore I need not occupy time in proving, that 
a people sunk in ignorance are wholly incapable of acquiring 
and preserving the blessings of civil and religious freedom. 

But knowledge alone does not prepare men for these bles- 
sings. Some of the most eminent men for talents and learn- 
ing that have ever lived, have been the most obsequious min- 
ions of despotism. A community generally immoral cannot, 
from the nature of the case, enjoy the benefits of free institu- 
tions. Rational liberty exists in any country, in proportion 
as the sovereignty is lodged in and rightly exercised by the 
people. A perfectly free government is, in fact, " the peo- 
ple governing themselves by an expression of their moral 
feeling and their will in the form of laws." Of course, if the 
people are generally corrupt in their moral principles and 
habits, wholesome laws will not be enacted. And if they 
were enacted, they would not be executed : for, in such a 
government, those who are appointed to execute the laws 
will, of course, be guided in their administration b)^ the tone 
of public sentiment. If wholesome laws exist, there must be 
in the community a moral sentiment that will approve and 
demand their execution. Hence the truth, which has become 
a pohtical axiom, that Virtue is the foundation of a 
REPUBLIC. The mere increase .of knowledge among a popu- 
lation, who have been sunk in flntellectual and moral, as well 
as political, debasement, may produce impatience of servi- 
tude, and lead to a revohition. But, as the people are not 
influenced by virtuous principle, and are, consequently, not 
accustomed to self-restraint, every man will think that liberty 



consists in following his own inclinations ; and scenes of 
anarchy will ensue, which will soon cause the return of a 
general preference for " the calm of despotism." Ample 
confirmation of these remarks was furnished by the first 
French revolution ; and, I fear, is now furnishing by the 
Mexican and South American republics. But if, while intel- 
ligence has been diffused, virtuous principles have been im- 
bibed, and virtuous habits formed, among a people ; then 
they are capable of self-government, they are qualified to be 
free. 

This indispensable preparation for liberty had been made, 
and well made, among our Puritan ancestors. Hence their 
complete success in establishing essentially free institutions 
immediately upon their arrival in this western world, and in 
preserving them during the hundred and fifty years of their 
colonial existence, and, with the help of their brethren of a 
kindred spirit in other colonies, perfecting them, and placing 
them, as we trust, upon a durable basis, in our revolution. 

The question, therefore, returns, with increased interest. 
How was this preparation made ? The correct answer, as it 
will be my principal object to show in this discourse, is, that 

IT WAS PRODUCED CHIEFLY BY THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT 
INFLUENCES OF RELIGION. 

Christianity, all history testifies, is the most powerful moral 
cause that has ever been brought to operate on mankind. 
Affecting, as it necessarily does when its real or pretended 
claims are at all regarded, the very springs of human action, 
and entering into all the conduct and relations of life, it can- 
not but exert a mighty influence. Wherever it has prevailed, 
whether in its simplicity and purity, or in the various forms 
of distortion and corruption which it has been made to 
assume, il has invariably produced great effects. 

As originally constituted by its divine Founder, the Church 
was a well ordered republic : all the members were placed 
on an equality, and tlicrc was no authority but that which was 
\()lnnt;n-ily given to superior intelligence anfl virtue ; ;uul the 



only power exercised was a moral power. Thus constituted, 
the Christian Church commenced its progress from the me- 
tropolis of Judea. And, in less than three hundred years, 
notwithstanding the most powerful and determined opposition, 
it spread itself over the whole Roman empire, which was 
then the whole known world. 

The rulers and wise men of this world now began to per- 
ceive, that if the character and influence of the Church should 
remain unchanged, their usurped dominion would, for reasons 
which will be developed in the sequel of this discussion, soon 
come to an end. On the other hand, they wisely conjec- 
tured that, if its constitution could be so modified as to bring 
it into alliance with civil institutions, and make it subservient 
to political purposes, as Paganism had been, it would afford a 
far more efficient support of their despotic authority. The 
experiment was made ; and made with fatal success. The 
Ministers of Jesus Christ, who had been unmoved by the 
frowns of power, were fascinated and seduced by its smiles. 
The desired change was, gradually, but completely, effected. 
And most deplorable were the consequences. The great 
body of professed Christians soon relapsed into the grossest 
ignorance ; and " the mighty energies of a religion which 
connects man with eternity," were made subservient to the 
base designs of an ambitious and profligate clergy in alliance 
with unprincipled rulers. And all Christendom was envel- 
oped in a long night of thick intellectual, moral and political 
darkness. 

The lamp of heaven was not, however, extinguished. 
During the whole period so justly denominated " the dark 
ages," there were spots which its ghmmering faintly illu- 
mined ; and now and then it shot forth a ray of light, which 
fell upon the mind of some favored individual, and scattered 
from it the gloom, which still rested on all around. 

At length, after a lapse of ten centuries, the bright morn- 
ing of the Reformation dawned upon the earth. An event 
fraught with more blessings to mankind than any other since 



8 

that which angels announced in the field of Bethlehem, sing- 
ing, " Glory to God in tlie highest, and on earth, peace, 
good-will to men."* 

The grand moving spirit of the Reformation, as every one 
knows, was tlie love of religion. No views of secular or 
ecclesiastical ambition mingled with and corrupted the mo- 
tives of the first and principal actors in its wonderfid scenes. 
Tliey were excited and sustained and carried forw-ard in 
their noble achievements, by a single, ardent, enduring and 
all coiK|iiering love for what they deemed the cause of God 
and of human salvation. 

The fundamental principle of the Reformation w'as — that 
THE Bible is the sole depository of religious truth; 

AND THAT, CONSEQUENTLY, TO ASCERTAIN THE DOCTRINES 
AND DUTIES OF RELIGION, THE FIRST AND FINAL RESORT 

MUST BE TO THE ScRiPTURES. " The Bible," Said they, 
" THE Bible is the religion of Protestants. "f Truly 
wonderful, and equally salutary, were the effects produced 
by this single principle. 

To qualify themselves as translators and thorough inter- 
preters of the Bible, the Reformers saw they must make 
themselves acquainted with the original languages of Scrip- 
ture, and with the various stores of ancient learning so inti- 
mately connected with the science of sacred criticism. And 
to expose and refute the reasonings of their antagonists, they 
found it necessary to make themselves familiar with the 
writings of the Fathers, and the history of councils and de- 
cretals, and of the fluctuations and changes of civil and eccle- 
siastical power, and the various systems of ancient philoso- 
phy. To these studies they applied themselves, with great 
diligence and success. And to facilitate their progress, and 

■* If the reader desires to see ample confirmation of this statement, he will find it in 
Villers' Essay ; a work lliat ought to be studied by every friend and advocate of civil 
and rolif^ious freedom. 

t ('hiliinf^wordi afterward thus expressed their fundamental principle. The mean- 
ing of this ma.xinj is not, of course, as .some have pretended to understand it, that this 
was the only sentiment which the Reformers reg'arded as essential, hut (what the 
maxim expresses) that all doctrines and authoritative precepts and examples in regard 
to religion must be derived ultimately from Scripture. 



diffuse as extensively as possible this important knowledge, 
they established colleges, and collected libraries, and sent 
forth innumerable publications. The Protestant universities, 
moreover, were not, as those of the Catholics had been, 
resorted to by few but youth destined to the priesthood. 
They were open alike to all ; and were soon crowded with 
students. Emulation was enkindled ; facilities of improve- 
ment were rapidly multiplied ; and a progress made in know- 
ledge which, in preceding ages, would have been thought 
impossible. 

Another effect of the fundamental principle of the Re- 
formers was, to take nothing upon authority. The Church 
of Rome said, Submit, without examination, to authority. 
The Protestants said. Examine, and submit only to your own 
conviction. And wherever the maxim was adopted, the 
shackles which had for centuries bound fast the human intel- 
lect were broken, and the barriers erected against investiga- 
tion and the communication of thought were overthrown. 
Men were made free in the inmost sanctuary of the soul, and 
dared to look freely and boldly around them. Light broke 
forth, and shot its rays in every direction. Mental activity 
and energy were greatly promoted ; and information exten- 
sively and rapidly diffused. 

A violent controversy was also carried on between the 
Reformers and the Papists, which served still more to rouse 
and invigorate the minds of men. So great were the inter- 
ests at stake, and so important the consequences of victory 
or defeat, that every power of those engaged in the contest 
was put in requisition, and exerted to the very utmost. In- 
tellectual energy was thus greatly and rapidly increased, and 
knowledge of all kinds advanced. And this influence, every 
where, preponderated immensely in favor of the Protestants ; 
because, while their adversaries were hampered by the dicta 
and conflicting opinions of Fathers, and the decrees of Coun- 
cils, and the bulls of Popes, they went directly to the Bible, 
2 



10 

and, with untrammelled minds, inquired, What saith the 
Lord ? 

Another consideration which must not be omitted is, that 
the simple study of the Bible itself, if it be pursued with any 
measure of attention and diligence, produces a wonderful 
effect in elevating the intellectual character. No mind can 
be frequently thus employed without being strengthened. 
While the repeated, and especially the believing, contem- 
plation of the sublime truths with which it thus becomes 
acquainted — the wonderful facts disclosed in the Scriptures 
concerning the nature and ways of God, the method of re- 
deeming mercy, the realities of eternity, and its connection 
with the feelings and actions of the present life — must exert, 
all experience proves does invariably exert, a powerful influ- 
ence in widening the range of thought and giving a new and 
lofty tone to the mind. 

All these influences it was the constant aim of the Re- 
formers to make bear as extensively and powerfully as possi- 
ble upon the mass of the people. This was another effect of 
their leading principle. It says to the laity as well as to the 
clergy, " Prove all things ; hold fast that which is good." 
It refers all " to the law and to the testimony," and makes 
every man directly responsible to God for his opinions and 
conduct. Hence, wherever the Reformation extended, a 
general and ardent desire was immediately excited among 
the people, to quahfy themselves to read the Scriptures, and 
the numerous other writings on religion, with which they 
were furnished by their new instructers. Schools and acade- 
mies, as well as colleges, were extensively established, and 
filled with pupils. While, every where, the minds of all 
were continually roused to action, and furnished with know- 
ledge, by the instructions of the living preacher ; who was 
stimulated, by love for the souls of his people, and by the 
desire of triumph for his party in the great moral conflict 
going forward, to promote as extensively as possible, among 



11 

all classes, and by every means, a thorough knowledge of 
the doctrines and duties of religion. 

Bv these various means, in those countries which em- 
braced the Protestant feith, science and literature, in all their 
departments, were greatly and rapidly advanced and im- 
proved ; and general information was diffused among the 
people to an extent at that time utterly unprecedented. 
Wherever the principles of the Reformation were completely 
triumphant, colleges and universities were opened to all who 
chose to resort to them, and the means of acquiring what we 
denominate a common education were furnished to the whole 
community.^ 

Nearly as great, and yet more important in its influence, 
was the change produced in the moral character of the 
people among whom Protestantism prevailed. They were 
not sent to the Bible, and taught with so much fidelity by 
their spiritual guides, without fruit unto holiness. Multitudes 
sincerely embraced the unadulterated religion of the Scrip- 
tures. And the very object of this religion, and its unfailing 
influence when received into the heart, is to make men vir- 
tuous. It teaches them to restrain and subdue their passions, 
to master their own spirits, and govern themselves; and to 
esteem as highly, and make as vigorous efforts to maintain, 
the rights of others as their own, and even to sacrifice every 
other interest but that of their salvation to the public good. 
Nor is this influence wholly confined to the truly pious ; but, 
where they are found in any considerable numbers, it 
extends from them, with greater or less power, through the 
whole community ; affecting, more or less, the opinions, the 
hopes and fears, the motives and conduct of all. Such was 

* The provision made by the Congregationalists in New England and by the 
Presbyterfans in Scotland/for giving to ail classes a common education sweJI 
known. One of the Canons of the Synod of Don, m which nearly all liie Relormed 
Churches then existing were represented, enjoms upon the Cons>slones f'^ several 
congregations to provide for the establishment and suppor of P.^'"/^'"^'/^^''""';-. „| 
use tliphrase 'Reformed Churches' as it is used by Moshe.m m h>s Kccles asi.cal 
History, to denote those churches which agreed, for the most par in doctnne and 
discipline with the Church of Geneva, .n d.stmct.on from those "^ ^li-^ ^ut eran per 
suasion. Among the Lutherans also llie common people were almost uni\ersally 
qualified to read the Scriptures. 



12 

actually the result, in an eminent degree, of that revival of 
primitive piety which followed the Reformation.* 

By this intellectual and moral elevation, the people were 
prepared for a government of laws. And the consequence 
was that, in all countries which embraced the Protestant 
faith, political changes speedily occurred decidedly advan- 
tageous to the people. f 

There were also other influences and results which must 
not be passed without notice. 

The application of their master principle by the Reformers 
led to the discovery of that fundamental truth, so fully recog- 
nized in the Scriptures, that God alone is lord of the con- 
science. This all-important truth was, indeed, but partially 
understood, for a time, by the most enlightened promoters of 
the Reformation. By some it was disputed, and even 
denied. But by that class of Protestants from whom we are 
descended, it was, at length, fully understood, and received 
as a fundamental truth. Thus the radical principle of reli- 
gious freedom was elicited ; which, by an easy and natural 
gradation, led to the discovery of political rights. J 

Another effect of that recourse to the Scriptures which 
resulted from the Reformation was, the speedy and universal 
discovery, by those brought under its influence, that there 
was no warrant for that system of priestly domination by 
which, throughout Christendom, the very minds and con- 

* " Nothing is worthy of more serious attention than the difference in point of 
morals which is found between Catholic and Protestant countries. A degree of dis- 
soluteness and licentiousness appears in the former, wiiich always forms a striking 
contrast with wliat is seen in tlie latter, which, bad as lliey are, may be reckoned 
pure and correct when compared with Catholic countries." Villers, p. 34G, Note. 

t In the now Protestant cantons of Switzerland, in Holland, and in Great Britain, the 
form of tlie governmenis was changed, or essentially modified, in favor of the people. 
And in the Protestant Stales of (iermany, in Denmark and Sweden, though the con- 
stiiution of the governments was not altered, they became practically less despotic. 
Villers, pp. 17'2— 283. 

X " The will lo be free in matters of conscience is the same at bottom with the will 
to be free in matters of state." Villers, p. 1!?1. " There is not a truth to be gathered 
from history more certain, or more momentous, than this, that civil liberty cannot 
long be separated from religious liberty, without danger, and ultimalely without de- 
struction, lo both. Wherever religious liberty e.xisls, it will, first or last, bring in, and 
establish, political liberty. Wherever it is suppressed, the church establishment will, 
first or last, become the engine ol' despotism, and overthrow, unless it be itself ovcr- 
tiirown, every vestige of political right." Judge Story's Centennial Discourse at 
Salem in 182'8, p. -IG. 



13 

sciences of men had, for so many centuries, been bound as 
with fetters of iron. The authority of the Pope was utterly 
renounced by all Protestants. The question now arose, 
How ought the Church to be governed ? and was, unfortu- 
nately, not, in all cases, determined by the sole authority of 
Scripture. In those countries where the government con- 
ducted the work of reformation, the Church was moulded to 
suit the views and interests of the rulers : ecclesiastical 
dignitaries were retained, who governed the Church in sub- 
ordination to the king. But where the Reformation was 
begun and carried on by the people, the constitution of the 
Church was generally settled much after the primitive model. 
The rights of the people were acknowledged. Jesus Christ 
was held to be the sole head of the church j and whatever 
powers pertain to the body as a voluntary association, were 
vested in the whole company of believers, and exercised, 
either by themselves, or their representatives. A form of 
church-government was instituted essentially popular ; which, 
it will be at once obvious to every reflecting mind, would 
operate favorably for civil liberty, just as certainly as men's 
principles and habits will influence their actions.* An 
influence too, which would be greatly augmented in that age, 
from the intimate connection in which all had been accus- 
tomed to view the Church and the State. 

And when led to investigate the pretentions of the Pope 
to raise up and cast down kings, men were naturally con- 
ducted to the inquiry, by what authority kings exercised 
their dominion. And the Catholic princes who attempted by 

* " No bishop, no kinff,'' was a maxim of that determined enemy of popular rig^hts, 
James 1. of England. During the progress of the Reformation " it was formed into 
an express and fundamental maxim of state, that Catholicism was tiie best support of 
absolute power, while Protestantism was favorable to rebellion and the republican 
spirit. It would not, even in our days, he possible to drive this maxim out of the 
heads of many statesmen." Villers, pp. 276, 277. " It soon became apparent [in the 
reign of Elizabeth in England] that they [the Puritans] tended jmlundhj towards 
republicanism ; for certain it is that monarchy and episcopacy, the throne and the 
altar, are much more nearly connected, than writers of bad faith, or little reflection, 
have sought to persuade mankind." "Besides this insensible bid naiuraL inclination 
towards democracy , vMch arises from ilie principles of a popular church-government, 
there was another cause why the current should set in that direction ; it was only 
under commonweallhs that the Puritans saw their beloved discipline flourish." Lon- 
don Quarterly Review, xvi. 517, 518. 



14 

force of arms to put a stop to the Reformation, drove its 
advocates to the discovery that sovereigns may be lawfully 
resisted when they encroach upon the rights of their subjects. 
" These novelties," said Francis I. of France, when con- 
versing, one day, on the influence of the Reformation, 
" These novelties tend to nothing less than the overthrow 
of all monarchy, divine and human."* And the actual result 
was that, in a great portion of Europe, the Papal tyranny 
was overthrown ; and in all countries in which the Reforma- 
tion prevailed, the prerogatives of monarchs were much 
reduced, or new governments were instituted essentially 
republican. 

From this general survey permit me now to turn your 
attention to a brief view of the progress of the Reformation 
in England. In that nation it was begun and carried on by 
the government, while in the other countries to which it 
extended, the leaders in commencing and conducting it were 
of the people. This peculiarity of the Reformation in 
England was productive of many evils, from some of which 
the people of that country are not wholly relieved to this 
day ; yet, in one respect it was overruled for a good which 
far more than counterbalances those evils. In other countries 
the w^ork of reform was generally carried forward, almost at 
once, to the extent of the views of the learned and pious 
instruments employed by Providence in its promotion ; and 
thus established, by universal consent, in a state of much 
imperfection : and thus has it been continued in those 
countries to the present time. But in England, the govern- 
ment, in its capriciousness and tyranny, stopped in the work 
of reform, far short of the other Protestant Churches, and of 
the wishes of its own most able and devoted Reformers. 
This produced collision ; led to rigid examination of the 
rights and duties of kings and subjects, first in regard to 
religion, and then in regard to government ; and ultimately 
struck out that spirit of religious and civil freedom, wJiich 

* ViUers, p. 189. 



15 

the Puritans preserved from extinction in the mother country, 
and brought to maturity in this western world. 

Henry VIII. began the Reformation in England, to gratify 
his furious passions : and, as his passions dictated, he con- 
ducted it, tin his death ; none scarcely, daring to utter a 
whisper of opposition to his capricious and tyrannical pro- 
ceedings. One circumstance, however, occurred which, in 
the present connection, is worthy of special notice. While 
" a most obedient son of the Papacy," Henry published a 
book " against Luther, in defence of the seven sacraments of 
the Romish Church ;" which procured from the Pope, for 
him and his successors, the title of " Defender of the 
Faith."* This book Luther answered, with a boldness and 
superiority of argument which greatly exasperated Henry. 
These circumstances probably had an influence in producing 
the unquestioned fact, that Luther and Lutheranism had com- 
paratively little effect on the reformation in England, and 
the principal direct influence from abroad in promoting it 
was sought and emanated from the famous John Calvin, the 
other great leader in the work of puUing down the Popish 
hierarchy. f Many English students resorted to Geneva, to 
receive the instructions of this distinguished theologian. 
His writings, too, were extensively circulated, and studied, 
and exerted a powerful influence in England. Two results 
followed of great importance to the cause of civil and 
religious liberty. The divines of England became familiarly 
acquainted with, and many of them warmly attached to, the 
form of church-government instituted by Calvin at Geneva, 
which was far more democratical than the ecclesiastical 
polity established in the countries reformed under the influ- 
ence of Luther. And the peculiar form of religious doctrine 
at first propagated, and for a long time universally adopted, 

* Neal's History of the Puritans, American edition, i. 56. 

t Another circumstance which subsequently had a still greater influence in produc- 
ing this result was, the invitation to England, early in the reign of Edward VI. of 
Peter Martyr and Martin Biicer, distinguished divines of the continent, who were of 
the Reformed or Calvinistic class of Protestants, and who were made divinity pro- 
fessors at Oxford and Cambridge. Neal i. yi. 



16 

in England, was that usually designated by the title Calvin- 
istic* The influence which the former of these results 
would exert on the cause of religious and civil liberty has 
been already stated ; that of the latter shall be evinced by 
the statements of another, who thought not, most probably, 
what honorable testimony he was giving to this oft maligned 
system of religious doctrine. A late writer of great force 
and eloquence,! "^ delineating the character of the Puritans, 
in which, he justly considers, is to be found the main spring 
of their wonderful achievements, thus expresses himself. 
" The Puritans were men whose minds had derived a 
peculiar character from the daily contemplation of superior 
beings and eternal interests. Not content with acknowledg- 
ing, in general terms, an overruling Providence, they habitu- 
ally ascribed every event to the wih of the Great Being, for 
whose power nothing was too vast, for whose inspection 
nothing was too minute. To know Him, to serve Him, to 
enjoy Him, was with them the great end of existence. 
They rejected with contempt the ceremonious homage which 
other sects substituted for the pure worship of the soul. 
Instead of catching occasional glimpses of the Deity through 
an obscuring veil, they aspired to gaze full on the intolerable 
brightness, and to commune with Him face to face. Hence 
originated their contempt of earthly distinctions. The dif- 
ference between the greatest and the meanest of mankind 
seemed to vanish, when compared with the boundless interval 
which separated the whole race from Him on whom their 
own eyes were constantly fixed. They recognized no title to 
superiority but His favor ; and, confident of that, they 
despised all the accomplishments and all the dignities of the 
world. If their names were not found in the registers of 
heralds, they felt assured that they were recorded in the 
Book of Life. If their steps were not accompanied by a 
splendid train of menials, legions of ministering angels had 



* Neal, i. 541— 5«. 

f The writer of the review of Milton. Etiinburgh Review, xlii. 339. 



17 

charge over them. Their palaces were houses not made 
with hands ; their diadems, crowns of glory which should 
never fade away. On the rich and the eloquent, on nobles 
and priests, they looked down with contempt : For they 
esteemed themselves rich in a more precious treasure, and 
eloquent in a more subhme language ; nobles by the right of 
an earlier creation, and priests by the imposition of a 
mightier hand. The very meanest of them was a being to 
whose fate a mysterious and terrible importance belonged — 
on whose slightest action the spirits of light and darkness 
looked with anxious interest, who had been destined, before 
the heaven and earth was created, to enjoy a felicity which 
should continue when heaven and earth should have passed 
away. Events which short-sighted politicians ascribed to 
earthly causes, had been ordained on his account. For his 
sake empires had risen, and flourished, and decayed. For 
his sake the Almighty had proclaimed his will, by the pen of 
the evangelist, and the harp of the prophet. He had been 
rescued by no common Deliverer, from the grasp of no 
common foe. He had "been ransomed by the sweat of no 
vulgar agony, by the blood of no earthly sacrifice. It was 
for him that the sun had been darkened, that the rocks had 
been rent, that the dead had arisen, that all nature had shud- 
dered at the sufferings of her expiring God." How just, as 
well as eloquent, this delineation ? And how pervading, in 
this noble character, the doctrines of the evangelical system ? 
How vital in its production, does the candid observer per- 
ceive, the doctrines of divine decrees, of assurance, and of 
the perseverance of the saints, those distinctive peculiarities 
of the Calvinistic faith ?* Indeed, my hearers, much as the 
name of Calvin has been scoffed at and loaded with reproach 
by many sons of freedom, there is not a historical proposition 
more susceptible of complete demonstration than this, that 

* " III Iracing the coherence among the systems of modern theolog-}', we may 
observe, that the doctrine of absolute tiecrees has ever been intimately connected 
with the enthusiastic spirit." " The spirit, too, of entliusiasm, bold, daring, and un- 
controlled, strongly disposed their [the Puritans] minds to adopt republican tenets." 
Hume, Hist, of England, iii. 372, 690. 

3 



13 

NO MAN HAS LIVED TO WHOM THE WORLD IS UNDER GREATER 
OBLIGATIONS FOR THE LIBERTY IT NOW ENJOYS THAN JoHN 

CvLviN. That liberty has been derived, all of it, from tlie 
Puritans ;* and no individual had so much influence m 
forming the principles and character of the Puritans as 

Calvin. r r^ ^ 11 

Henry VIII. was succeeded in the throne of England by 
the amiable and pious Edward VI. ; during whose short reign 
the Reformation was carried forward to the state in which it 
is now by law established in that kingdom. All the English 
Reformers were gratified with the ecclesiastical changes made 
in this reign : most of them, however, hoping for further 
modifications ; which would, no doubt, have been made, had 
the life of Edward been prolonged.! 

His untimely death made way for the accession ot " the 
bloody Mary." Papacy was restored ; and a violent perse- 
cution of the Protestants ensued. This was a most untoward 
event. Yet it was a necessary part of that " severe disci- 
pUne " by which Providence was preparing a portion ol the 
nation for the discovery and maintenance of the prmciples of 
rehgious and civil freedom. The sincere Protestants, both 
ministers and laymen, to save their lives, retired m great 
numbers, to the continent, and, in various places, were kindly 
received and entertained, especially at Frankfort, where they 
were most numerous. Here, simply with a view to obtain 
accommodation for public worship, and not give offence to 
the French congregation whose church they were permi ted 
to use a portion of every Sabbath, they agreed to vaiy their 
mode of conducting the public service from that which had 
been enjoined by king Edward. This after a time pro- 
duced among them an unhappy contention, which issued in 
'r division, ever since continued, into Conformists and 
pliTA^J^eJatter_p^^ 

i Ncal, i. 8G— 125. 



19 

leave Frankfort, and retired to Geneva, where they were 
received with great kindness, and had a church assigned 
them for their worship. Here, deeming themselves released 
frmn obligation to use the service-book of king Edward, as 
it was " now set aside by act of Parliament," and they v/ere 
" in a strange land," they adopted, and used for several years 
while their exile continued, a form of worship and discipline 
resembling that of the Genevan Church, and materially dif- 
fering from that soon to be re-established in their own 
country.* For this simpler liturgy and more democratic 
church-government they formed a strong attachment, which 
was to be productive of important effects upon their return 
to England. While residing at Geneva they also prepared 
and published a translation of the Bible, with notes, in which 
they were led, by the persecution carrying on by the govern- 
ment at home, to assert the lawfulness, in certain cases, of 
resisting the authority of kings. This Bible was afterwards 
generally circulated in England ; and the " traiterous con- 
ceits," as king James styled them, in its notes, f no doubt had 
an influence upon the political feeling of the nation. 

Mary died in 1558, and was succeeded by Elizabeth, 
who had been educated in the Protestant faith. Papacy 
was again abolished, and the Reformed rehgion restored, as 
it had been established under Edward VI. : absolute au- 
thority being given, by act of parliament, to the queen and 
her successors in regard to religious doctrine, worship and 
discipline ; " all persons in any public employs, whether 
civil or ecclesiastical," being required to take " an oath in 
recognition of the queen's supremacy in all causes ecclesias- 
tical and civil, on penalty of forfeiting all their promotions in 
the Church, and of being declared incapable of holding any 
public office."! ^^^^ Puritans, who had returned home 
upon Elizabeth's accession, all took the oath ; hoping that, 

* Neal, i. 148—155. 

t See Neal ii. 41, and the account of the authorized English version of the Bible 
prefixed to Ur. Adam Clarke's Coinnieiilary. 
X iNeal, i. 166. 



20 

in the exercise of her supremacy, the queen would effect 
the further reformation they so ardently desired. Happy 
would have been the consequences, in many respects, had 
the hope been realized. But then, the Puritans would have 
obtained from the government what they wished, and been 
satisfied ; and the principles of religious and civil liberty 
would not have been elicited. Providence, therefore, in 
wisdom, permitted the queen to decide, that there should be 
no more changes in religion, and that all must, under severe 
penalties, conform, in every particular, to the established 
worship.* And this determination she proceeded rigorously 
to enforce, by deprivation, fines, imprisonment, banishment 
and execution ; not permhting even the parliament to inter- 
fere. The effect was, what the effect of persecution com- 
monly is, to make the sufferers more devotedly attached to 
their principles, and to drive them to new applications of 
them, and new methods of defending them. With these 
views the Puritans, under the guidance of the fundamental 
principle of the Reformation, were stimulated to a more 
diligent and prayerful study of the Scriptures. And various 
and most happy were the consequences. 

They became convinced of the moral and perpetual obll- 

* The conuoversy at first related chiefly to the habits of the clergy and the ceremo- 
nies of worship. The Puritans have often i:>cen greatly blamed for Iheir stifliiess in re- 
gard to these, in themselves, confessedly, inditferent things. Among their de.^cendanls, 
tor whom, at so great sacrifices, they obtained so rich an inheritance, are found those 
who think they were highly censurable in this iiarticular. But let Iheir reasons be at- 
tentively considered, and let candor decide. They alleged, 1. That the /(nfoVs were 
the k':()wn badges of popery, and regarded extensively by the people, who had been 
brought up under the Romish superstition, as giving validity to the administrations 
of the priests ; and the ceremwHe* were considered as having an inherent eflicac}' : it 
was therefore essential to a thorough reformation that both should be laid aside. 
2. Those who enjoined them admitted that they wore not rc(|uircd by scriptural 
authority ; but the fundamental principle of the Keformatioii was, that the Scrij)tures 
are the siiilicient and only rule of faith and practice. 3. Christ is the sole lawgiver of 
Ills Church, and has directed all things necessary to be observed in it to the end of the 
world ; therefore, when he has indulged a liberty to his followers, it is as much their 
duty to maintain it, as to observe any other of his precepts. If things acknowledged 
to bo in^UtJinvxt. may be impoani by the civil authority, then that authority may take 
away lihc'ity of conscience where Christ has left \\.frec. Such a principle ought to be 
resisted, al all times, and in its every application. O/).*! ;);iw«>i(,v, was the grand 
principle with the Puritans, in reference to encroachments upon iheir religious rights, 
as it was afterwards with their defendants in the American colonies in reference to 
(he violation of their civil rights. " 'J'he wisdom of zeal for any object is not to be 
nieasuied by the particular nature of that object, but by the nature of the privriple, 
which the circumstances of the times, or of society, have identified with such object." 
J'resident tiuinry's Centennial Address al Boston, in 1830, p. 16. 



21 

gation of the fourth commandment ; and " were," conse- 
quently, their historian attests, " strict observers of the 
Christian Sabbath or Lord's day. It was," he says, " a 
distinguishing mark of a .Puritan in these times," i. e. in 
EHzabeth's reign, " to see him going to church twice a day, 
with his Bible under his arm. And while others were at 
plays and interludes, at revels, or walking in the fields, or 
at the diversions of bowling, fencing, &£c. on the evening of 
the Sabbath, these, with their families, were employed in 
reading the Scriptures, singing psalms, catechising their 
children, repeating sermons, and prayer. Nor was this only 
the work of the Lord's day ; but they had their hours of 
devotion on the week days, esteeming it their duty to take 
care of the souls, as weU as the bodies, of their servants. 
They were circumspect as to all the excesses of eating, 
drinking, apparel, and lawful diversions, being frugal in 
housekeeping, industrious in their particular callings, honest 
and exact in their dealings, and solicitous to give to every 
one his own." They " were not," indeed, " without their 
failings. Their notions of the civil and religious rights of 
mankind were," as yet, " derived too much from the Theoc- 
racy of the Jews, which was now at an end. Their be- 
haviour was severe and rigid, far removed from the fash- 
ionable freedoms and vices of the age ; and possibly they 
might be too censorious, in not making those distinctions 
between youth and age, grandeur and mere decency, as 
the nature and circumstances of things would admit. But, 
with all their faults, they were the most jnous and devout 
people in the land.^^* With this character, they were fitted 
to govern themselves ; they were now prepared to be free. 
And speedily did a wise and gracious Providence lead them 
to the discovery and successful maintenance of the princi- 
ples of religious and civil freedom. 

Hitherto Puritans and Conformists had agreed in the 

* Neal, i. 660. 



22 

opinion that it belonged to the government alone to pre- 
scribe forms of discipline and worship for the Church, 
differing only in their views of the extent to which the gov- 
ernment ought to proceed in laying aside the additions 
which, all believed, had been made to the model left by 
the Apostles.* But in the discussions produced by Eliza- 
beth's perseverance in refusing to proceed further in the 
work of reform, and by her severe measures for enforcing 
uniformity, juster principles were evolved. Early in Eliza- 
beth's reign, Mr. Cartwright, a leader of the Puritans, 
published " An Admonition to the Parliament," in which he 
maintained, that " the Christian sovereign ought not to be 
called Head under Christ of the particular and visible 
churches within his dominions," and that " the civil magis- 
trate ought not to ordain ceremonies, or determine contro- 
versies in the Church, as long as they do not intrench upon 
his temporal authority. "f 

Some years after the same Mr. Cartwright maintained 
in his divinity lectures at Cambridge, and published, that 
" The names and functions of archbishops and archdeacons 
ought to be abolished, as having no foundation in Scripture. 
The offices of the lawful ministers of the Church ought to 
be reduced to the apostolical institution ; the bishop to 
preach the word of God and pray, and deacons to take care 
of the poor. The government of the Church ought not to 
be intrusted with bishop's chancellors, or the officials of 
archdeacons ; but every Church should be governed by its 
own minister and presbyters. Bishops should not be created 
by civil authority, but ought to be fairly chosen by the 
Church."J Hitherto both parties had allowed that the 
ecclesiastical constitution might be very much regulated by 
convenience and motives of state policy. Here was the 
discovery and advancement of the principle that, in this 
department as well as in that of doctrine, nothing should 
be determined or sanctioned without the warrant of Scri})- 



Neal, ii. Author's Preface, ix. t Neal, i. 173. t Neal, i. 279. 



23 

ture. This, it will be at once apparent, was another very 
important step in the developement of the principles of 
religious and civil liberty. Mr. Cartwright, for advancing 
such " dangerous doctrines," was deprived of his professor- 
ship and expelled the university, and constrained to go into 
voluntary banishment. But his opinions were embraced by 
the whole body of the Puritans. 

In the mean time, "several of the deprived ministers" 
residing in and about London, had, upon " solemn consulta- 
tion with their friends" and earnest "prayer," come to an 
" agreement, that it was their duty, in their present circum- 
stances, to break off from the public churches, and to assem- 
ble, as they had opportunity, in private houses, or elsewhere, 
to worship God in a manner that might not offend against 
the light of their consciences."* The assemblies instituted 
in consequence of this determination were soon suppressed 
by the government. But the conduct and motives of those 
who had held them were, by their Puritan brethren, gen- 
erally approved. And thus was developed the important 
principle that it was lawfid, for conscience sake, to resist 
the civil and ecclesiastical authority in separating from the 
Established Church. 

While these discussions and developements were going 
forward, the queen and the bishops had been constantly de- 
vising new expedients, and increasing the severity of their 
measures, for enforcing rigid uniformity. These violent pro- 
ceedings at length drove " multitudes to a total separation, 
and so far prejudiced" them " as not to allow the Church of 
England to be a true Church, nor her ministers true minis- 
ters ; they renounced all communion with her, not only in 
the prayers and ceremonies, but in hearing the word and the 
sacraments. These were the people called Bkownists, 
from one Robert Brown, a preacher in the diocese of Nor- 
wich ;" who, besides the errors just mentioned and some 
others, first among the Reformers in England maintained the 

* Neal, i. 232. 



24 

following truths, so fundamental in their hearing upon re- 
ligious and civil liberty, viz. " that, according to Scripture 
every Church ought to be confined within the limits of a 
single congregation, and that the government should be 
democratical ;" that churches should be constituted by 
" such as desired to be members making a confession of 
their faith in the presence of each other, and signing a 
covenant j that the whole power of admitting and excluding 
members, with the deciding of all controversies, was in the 
brotherhood ; that church officers, for preaching the word 
and taking care of the poor, were to be chosen by the free 
sufl:rages of the brethren ; and that in church censures, there 
should be an entire separation of the ecclesiastical and civil 
sword." These are the principles afterwards adopted by 
the Independents in England, and, with some slight modifi- 
cations, by the Congregationalists in this country. Brown 
published his sentiments in 1582. Not long after he gath- 
ered a separate congregation upon his own principles; wdiose 
members the persecuting vigilance of the government com- 
pelled to flee to Holland, where they formed themselves into 
a church, which soon, however, fell into divisions, and, 
being deserted by its pastor, who returned to the Estab- 
lished Church, was at last broken up. But the seeds of 
separation which Brown had sown in several parts of Eng- 
land, were not destroyed. His followers increased ; and, 
having discarded his extravagancies and most of his errors, 
became a considerable body in the latter part of this and the 
beginning of the subsequent reign.* 
\ James I. succeeded Elizabeth in 1G03. From him the 
Puritans entertained high expectations, as he had been edu- 
cated a Presbyterian, and had professed a warm attachment 
for that discipline. But, doubtless for the same reasons as 
^p the case of Elizabeth, Providence disappointed their ex- 

^.* Neal, i. 37G— 379. " In the reign of Elizabeth, Sir Waller Raleigh declared in 
Parliament, that the Rrownists alone, in their various congregations, were increased 
to the nuiiiher of twenty thousand. — Sir Simonds D'I'".vves' Journals of the Parlia- 
ineuts during the roigu of queen Elizabeth. London, 1G82. p. 317." 



25 

pectations. James followed in the course of his predecessor, 
adopting additional and more rigorous measures against the 
Puritans. These new severities drove yet greater numbers 
to Holland ; among whom was the venerated Robinson, 
and those who, with him, formed the English Church at 
Leyden.* And with them went those pure and almost per- 
fect principles of religious liberty, and those elements of 
civil freedom, which had been struck out by the instrumen- 
tality of Robert Brown ; separated, however, as has been 
intimated, from his extravagances and most of his errors. f 

But even here, the depositories of these principles and 
elements, fraught with so many blessings to mankind, are not 
permitted to remain. Had such been the arrangements of 
Providence, the sacred treasure would soon have been lost, 
from the encroachments of a foreign population and of sur- 
rounding corruptions. J To preserve it, these martyrs in the 
cause of religious and civil freedom determine to abandon 
the comforts of their newly acquired home, and encounter 
the dangers of the ocean, and the perils of this western wil- 
derness. They embark for America, and establish the colony 
of Plymouth ; and are soon followed by a more numerous 
band, of similar principles and spirit, who found tlie colony of 
Massachusetts Bay. 

And now, a stranger to the history would be ready to say, 
being escaped from the restraints and oppressions of civil and 
ecclesiastical tyranny, we shall see their principles at once 
carried out to their full extent, and perfect religious and po- 
litical freedom at length obtaining an existence in the world. 

* Neal, ii. Chapters 1 and 2. 

t Among the errors of Brown which the Independents, of whom Robinson and 
others were the leaders, rejected, one of the most important was, requiring- in those 
who joined their churches a renunciation and denunciation of the Church of England. 
"If any," says Governor Winslow, (as quoted in the Appendix to Rev. Mr. Storrs' 
Sermon at Plymouth, Dec. 22, 1826, p. 39,) " if any joining us have, with the mani- 
festation of their faith and holiness, held forth therewith separation from the Church of 
England, I have divers times heard either Mr. Robinson our pastor, or Mr. Brewster 
our elder, stop them forthwith, showing them tluxt we required no such thing at their 
hands ; but only to hold forth faith in Christ Jesus, holiness in the fear of God, and sub- 
mission to every appointment and ordinance of God." Those are therefore in erroc 
who represent Robinson and the Church at Leyden as rigid " Separatists." 

X See Morton's New England Memorial, pp. 18—20. 

4 



26 

But, no. Our fathers were not yet sufficiently instructed in 
the difficult lesson, nor was the way yet fully prepared in the 
inscrutable arrangements of Providence. Not only did they, 
of necessity, retain an allegiance to the British crown, but, 
by their own voluntary act, they immediately determined that 
none should be freemen but members of their churches ; that 
no church should be gathered without the consent of the civil 
magistrate ; and that the people, of whatever persuasion, 
should be taxed for the support of their ministers ; and en- 
forced these regulations with rigor, by fines, imprisonment, 
and banishment. Institutions wide, indeed,, from those of 
perfect religious and civil freedom. But let not your won- 
der at what has often been, inconsiderately, called their in- 
consistency,* turn off your contemplation from the wisdom 
of an overruling Providence, in providing, by this very means, 
for the ultimate perfect developement and establishment of 
the principles of religious and civil liberty. Had not our 
fathers excluded, as they did, all other sects from authority 
and influence among them, the Enghsh hierarchy would soon 
have extended to them here its iron grasp ; and thus, the 
whole object of their emigration would have been frustrated, 
and the spirit of freedom, both civil and religious, extinguish- 
ed. As it was, — though evils resulted, some of which con- 
tinue in their influence to this day, — ^}^et the far greater good 
was accomplished, of keeping alive, and furdier and further 
developing, in the independence of their churches and the 
freedom of their elections, the principles of religious and civil 
liberty, and guarding them effectually from extinction, and 
even from serious encroachment. f 

* Inconsiderately called their inconsistency, because every one acquainted with the 
circumstances of iliat age, must feci, thixt it would have been lillle, if any, short of a 
miracle that couUI have brought them, in their circumstances, to a full understanding 
of the priiicipics of religious and civil liberty. See this ground of their vindication 
well stated, bv the Hon. Judge Story, in his Centennial Discourse at Salem, pp. 43— 
31. and by the lion. Edward Everett, in his Centennial Address at Charleslown in 
1830. pp. 42— 14. 

t This is the principal ground of vindication of the Fathers of New Eiigland ir re- 
gard to their religious institutions. See it ably and triumphantly stated in President 
Quincy's Ceiiteinruil Address at Boston, Sept. 1830, pp. :i5— 21t, and Note F. The 
"union" they established "between church and stale," Judge Story has styled, in 
Lis Centennial Discourse, p. 55, a " fundamental error." I have myself called it, in 



27 

In the mean while, by the influence of their Puritan breth- 
ren who had remained in England, the throne and the hierar- 
chy had been overturned under Charles I. ; and toleration 
and a high degree of political liberty engrafted into the Brit- 
ish constitution by the revolution of 1688; and civil and 
ecclesiastical oppression in the old world had driven to the 
colonies south of New England multitudes who had been 
trained under the influence of principles and forms of church- 
government derived, like those of the Puritans, from the Re- 
formers of Geneva.'* And the emigrants who were not of 
this class were, most of them, Protestants, who had adopted 
the principles established in England on the accession of 
William and Mary.f 

At length, when the fulness of time was come, the all-wise 
Ruler of the nations permitted those usurpations and oppres- 
sions on the part of the parent country, which led to our 
independence, and consummated our political freedem. 
And now was to be formed a government for confederated 
States, all possessing equal rights, in regard to which the 
arrangements of Providence had been such, in respect to re- 

a former publication, " a material error." History of the Old South Church in Bos- 
ton, p. 4. It was, indeed the cause of real and g^rcat evils, some of which continue to 
this day, and which I have stated in the History just rel'erred to. Sermon IH. Fur- 
ther investigation and reflection have, however, led me to doubt whether it should be 
called an error. I see not by what other arrangement they could, in their circum- 
stances, have secured the privileges for which they had emigrati'd, and |)reserved 
among ihem, for more perfect developemcnl, tiie principles of religious and civil free- 
dom. — The valuable purposes to be eflected by this arrangement have long since 
been fully accomplished. Why then should it, under an}' modification, be continued 1 
It is strange indeed that in Massachusetts alone of all the free States of this Union, the 
support of religious institutions should slill be required by the Slate. When will this 
Commonwealth imitate the example of all the other members of the confederacy, in 
abolishing entirely' and forever all connection between church and state, and thus per- 
fecting her religious and civil freedom ? 

* Of this class «ere the whole body of emigrants from Holland, Scotland, and the 
north of Ireland, and a large portion of those from Germany, settled in the middle 
and southern colonies. 

t The only exception was the colony of Maryland, established by Lord Baltimore, 
and composed chiefly of Roman Catholics. But even upon these, attached as they 
were to a religious system whose essential principle is blind submission to authority, 
such had been the influence of the persecutions they had suffered from the Church and 
government of England, that, in settling their government, they enactefl, that " no 
persons professing to believe in .lesus Christ should be molested in their religion, or in 
the free exercise thereof, or be compellerl to the belief or e.vercise of any other reli- 
gion, against their consent; so that ihey be not unfaithful to the proprietor, or con- 
spire against the civil government." Chalmers' Political Annals, p. 218. A brief 
account of the civil and religious inslilulions of die various colonies, from their estab- 
lishment to the revolution, may be seen in Pitkin's History of the United States, vol. I, 



28 

ligion, that in some Congregationalism was established,* and 
in others Episcopacy ;f in one State the Baptists predomi- 
nated,! in another the Quakers,§ and in anotlier the Roman 
Cathohcs,|| and in tiie majority, there was among the people 
great diversity of religious sentiment and practice. In such 
a state of things, what could be done, but leave the Church, 
as its divine Founder had left it, to be simply protected, and 
to take care of itself, in sole dependence on His blessing ? 
A necessity created by Providence, chiefly in directing the 
influence of that love of religion which it had produced by 
means of the Reformation, compelled the full estabhshment 
of religious freedom ; for which the same Providence had 
now, for the first time since the foundation of the world, fully 
prepared the way, in the minds of men, and in the circum- 
stances of the nations. 

Such is a sketch of the developement, and full establish- 
ment in this beloved country, for the benefit of the whole 
world, of religious and civil liberty : all by the influence of 
the Protestant Reformation, and by the immediate instru- 
mentality of the Puritans. Truly tliey were " the Lord's 
portion; the lot of his inheritance. He found them in a" 
moral " desert, and in a waste howling wilderness. He led 
them about, he instructed them, he kept them as the apple 
of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over 
her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth 
them on her wings ; so the Lord alone did lead them, and 
there was no strange god with him ;" — all " to do them good 
in their latter end," and make them the means of unspeaka- 
ble and universal good. 

Of tlie numerous interesting reflections that crowd uj)on 
my attention, 1 will trespass further on your patience to name 
but one. How OBviotis the dependence of i.iherty on 



* In Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, f In Virginia and New 
York. \ In Rhode Islaud. ^ lu Pennsylvania. |{ In Maryland. 



29 

VITAL RELIGION. Witliout tliis, WG have the testimony of 
infidels, of the highest distinction and authority, that the 
changes in the ecclesiastical and civil institutions of Europe, 
which began in the sixteenth century and have ever since 
been meliorating the condition of men, would never have 
been effected.* The religion of the Bible, exerting its un- 
corrupted influence on the minds of men, produced the Re- 
formation, and originated all the happy influences exerted by 
that great event upon the intellectual, moral, social and polit- 
ical condition of man. Their pre-eminence in scriptural re- 
ligion carried our Puritan ancestors so much further than 
others in the work of ecclesiastical and political reform. 
Their love of this sustained them in their innumerable sacri- 
fices and sufferings ; impelled them in their unwearied search 
for the original and unalienable rights of men ; and led them 
to discover, one by one, and assert, and successfully main- 
tain, the principles of religious and civil freedom. This it 
was, pre-eminently and, I may almost say, alone, that fitted 
them for the ultimate acquisition, and enjoyment, and perma- 
nent establishment, of such perfect liberty. 

How, then, shall we preserve the rich inheritance they 
have left us ? By imbibing, and cherishing, and giving a 
controlling influence on all our population to scriptural 
religion. How shall we diffuse the blessing through the 

* D'Alembert, a celebrated infidel of France in Uie time of her first revolution, 
says, "The middle of the sixteenth century beheld a sudden change in religion, and 
in the system of a great part of Europe. The new doctrines of the Reformers, de- 
fended on one side, and attacked on tlie other, with that ardor rvliich the cause of God, 
tcell or ill umlerslood, is alone able to inspire, equally obliged their defenders, and their 
opponents, to acquire instruction. Emulation, animated by this poiverful motive, in- 
creased all kinds of knowledge; and light, raised from amidst error and dissension, 
was cast upon all objects, even such as appeared most foreign to those disputes." 
Elements of Philosophy, I., as quoted by Villers, pp. 397, 398. Sa^-s Hume, " In 
that great revolution of manners which happened dining the si.vtcenlh and seventeenth 
century, the only nations which had the honorable, though melancholy, advantage of 
making an effort for tlieir expiring privileges, were such as, together with the princi- 
ples ot civil liberty, were animated with a zeal for religious parties and opinions." " In 
their circumstances, notl>iii.g Lid a pions zeal, which disregards all motives of human 
prudence, could have made them entertain hopes of preserving any longer those privileges 
which their ancestors, through so many ages, had transmitted lo them." History of 
England, iii. 332, 333. And, speaking of the house of Stuart, he says, '• So extensive 
was the royal authority, and so firmly established in all its parts, iiiat it is probable 
the patriots of that age would have despaired of resisting it, had they not been stimu- 
lated by religious motives, whicli inspire a courage unsiirinoimtable by any human ob- 
stacle." 



30 

earth ? By extending through it the knowledge and the 
influence of scriptural religion. Not every thing that calls 
itself the religion of the Bible. Not a rehgion that brings 
the authority of revelation to a level with human reason, and 
knows not the meaning of Scripture, and attaches no special 
importance to any particular opinions, and takes away the 
sanctions of God's law, and the power of the Saviour's cross, 
and can acconnnodate its doctrines and practices to con- 
venience, and fashion, and purposes of worldly ambition. 
Where had now been the liberties of the world, had such 
been our fathers' religion ?* Standing here in the full blaze 
of the light of their history, as patriots and philanthropists, 
how can I commend to you such a religion ? No, my 
hearers, no. It is of the religion of the Puritans that I 
speak. A religion which made the plain declarations of 
God's word its authoritative and infallible guide ; and 
attached the utmost importance to opinions ; and would 
receive no article of faith or rule of conduct which had not 
the sanction of Scripture ; and received unhesitatingly its 
every teaching ; and viewed every thing as regulated by 
Jehovah's controlling agency, and developing his wise and 
unchanging purposes ; and regarded all human conduct as 
bearing upon an eternal retribution ; and lived continually 
under the humbling and purifying influence of the Re- 
deemer's cross ; and aspired to an assurance of an interest 
in God's everlasting favor, and to habitual and intimate com- 
munion with him ; and for principle, even when involving no 
direct advantage, would sacrifice comfort, and reputation, and 
property, and life ; and aimed, in all things, to exhibit supreme 
love to God and impartial love to men. Let this religion, 
any where, pervade the minds and form the characters of 
men, and they cannot but be free. 

* "111 1772, about two huiidreil and fifty cleigynien of il)e Clnucli of Kiiglaml 
petitioned the Legislature for relief from tiie necessity of sul)scriliinir tlie articles of 
thai Cliurch, l)ecause ilial suliscriptioii was ojiposed to their conscientious belief. 
Their prayer was rejected by the House of Commons, and tiie subscription was en- 
forced. Notwithstanding tliis, the petitioners, with the exception of Mr. Lindsey, 
clung to the emoliiin"nts of a Church, ihc doctrines of which they had publicly de- 
clared ihes' no longer believed." 



31 

By your veneration, then, for your illustrious ancestors, by 
your love for your country, by your desire for the happiness 
of men, by the imperative admonitions of God's providence 
and word, we charge you, yield up your heart and life to the 
influence of the religion of the Puritans ; and do all in your 
power, by your example, your influence, your property, to 
maintain and extend its efficacy among your countrymen, 
and to difflise it through the world. Suffer it not, when you 
can prevent it, to be perverted or reviled. Preserve its 
sacred regard for the institution of the Sabbath, that guardian 
of the authority, and chief source of the energy, of the 
whole moral law. Guard most vigilantly the independence 
of the churches, and their entire separation from the state. 
Do what you can to have all in this country, and throughout 
the earth, possessed of the Scriptures, and enabled to read 
them, and their understandings and hearts imbued with their 
subduing, elevating, and sanctifying truths. Fill this land 
with the religion of the Puritans, and its liberties cannot be 
destroyed. Fill the world with the religion of the Puritans, 
and the world is free. 



NOTE. 



It may not be unacceptable to the reader to add a few particulars in con- 
firmation of the statement made on page 18, in reference to the infiu- 
ence of Calvin in forming the opinions and character of the Puritans, and 
thus contributing to the discovery and establishment of the principles of reli- 
gious and civil liberty. 

The peculiarities of the religious doctrines of the Puritans had an important 
influence in producing in them determined and persevering resistance to 
arbitrary power, and a successful vindication of their religious and political 
rights. This fact is sufficiently illustrated in the quotation in the sermon from 
the Edinburgh Review. It is admitted by Hume, and by all, whatever 
their religious opinions, who have thoroughly investigated the springs of 
action in those discoverers and founders of religious and civil freedom. But 
the doctrinal views of the Puritans were derived from Calvin. 

Their disapprobation of the rites and ceremonies enjoined by the English 
government was a prominent means of leading them to the discovery, and 
stimulating them to the successful vindication, of the principles of religious 
and civil liberty. And that disapprobation may be directly traced to the in- 
fluence of Calvin. With him many of the leading Puritan divines studied 
theology, and were taught the importance of laying aside the whole mass of 
Popish additions to the simplicity of apostolic worship. When the difficulties 
arose among the exiles at Frankfort, in Mary's reign, about the use of king 
Edward's Liturgy, they asked the advice of Calvin, " who, having perused 
the English Liturgy, took notice, ' that there were many tolerable weak- 
nesses in it, which, because at first they could not be amended, were to be 
suffered ; but that it behoved the learned, grave, and godly ministers of 
Christ to enterprize farther, and to set up something more filed from rust, 
and purer. If religion,' says he, • had flourished till this day in England, 
many of these things should have been corrected. But since the reformation 
is overthrown, and a church is to be set up in another place, where you ar« 
5 



34 

at liberty to establish what order is most for edification, I cannot tell what 
they mean, who arc so fond of the leavings of Popish dregs.' " When the Con- 
formist party had triumphed at Frankfort, they " wrote to Mr. Calvin to 
countenance their procedings ; which that great divine could not do: but, 
after a modest excuse for intermeddling in their affairs, told them, that, ' in 
his opinion, they were too much addicted to the English ceremonies ; nor 
could he see to what purpose it was to burden the church with such hurtful 
and offensive things, when there was liberty to have a simple and more pure 
order.' " The Puritan part of the exiles retired to Geneva, and there 
prepared and published a service book, in the dedication of which they say, 
that "they had set up such an order as, in the judgment of Mr. Calvin and other 
learned divines, was most agreeable to Scripture, and the best Reformed 
churches." And when, subsequently, the important step was taken by 
several Puritants in and about London, of breaking off" from the established 
churches and setting up a separate congregation, they adopted for use, (as 
they say in their ' agreement' thus to separate,) " a book, and order of preach- 
ing, administration of sacraments and discipline, that the great Mr. Calvin 
had approved of, and which was free from the superstitions of the English 
service." Neal, i. 152, 154, 155, 252. 

But most important of all, in its influence on religious and civil liberty, 
was the attachment of the Puritans to a popuar church government. And of 
the origin of this system we have the following account from ' the judicious 
Hooker,' prefixed to his famous work on Ecclesiastical Polity, written ex- 
pressly against it. " A founder it had, whom, for mine own part, I think 
incomparably the wisest man that ever the French (Protestant) church did 
enjoy, since the hour it enjoyed him. His bringing up was in the civil law. 
Divine knowledge he gathered, not by hearing or reading, so much as by 
teaching others. For though thousands were debtors to him, as touching 
knowledge in that kind, yet he to none, but only to God, the author of that 
most blessed fountain the Book of Life, and of the admirable dexterity of 
wit, together with the helps of other learning, which were his guides. Two 
things of principal moment there are, which have deservedly procured him 
honor throughout the world : the one, his exceeding pains in composing the 
Institutions of the Christian religion ; the other, his no less industrious travels 
for the exposition of Holy Scripture, according to the same Institutions. In 
which two things, whosoever they were that after him bestowed their labor, 
he gained the advantage, of prejudice against them if they gainsayed, and of 
glory above them if they consented. Of what account the Master of Senten- 
ces was in the Church of Rome, the same, and more, among the preachers of 



35 

the Reformed churches, Calvin had purchased ; so that the perfectest divines 
were judo-ed they who were skillfulest in Calvin's writings ; his books beinji; 
ahnost the very canon to judge both doctrine and discipUne by." 

These statements are conlirmed by abundant testimony from writers ot 
authority who had no good opinion of Calvin or his principles. Says Hume, 
(History of England, iii. 57.) " These disputes [about ceremonies, Stc] 
which had been started during the reign of Edward, were carried abroad by 
the Protestants who fled from the persecutions of Mary ; and as the zeal of 
these men had received an increase from the pious zeal of their enemies, 
they were generally inclined to carry their opposition to the utmost extremity 
against the practices of the Church of Rome. Their communication ivith 
Calvin, and the other Reformers who followed the discipUne and worship of 
Geneva, confirmed them in this obstinate reluctance; and though some of 
the refugees, particularly those who were established at Frankfort, still ad- 
hered to king Edward's Liturgy, the prevailing spirit carried these confessors 
to seek a still further reformation." 

The celebrated Deaii Swift, in a sermon preached on, what tories and high 
churchmen in England have styled, " the martyrdom of king Charles I.," makes 
the following statements : " Upon the cruel persecution raised against the 
Protestants under Queen Mary, among great numbers who fled the kingdom 
to seek for shelter, several went and resided at Geneva, which is a common- 
wealth, governed without a king, where the religion contrived by Calvin 
is, without the order of bishops. When the Protestant faith was restored by 
queen Elizabeth, those who fled to Geneva returned, among the rest, home 
to England, and ivere grown so fond of the government and religion of the 
place they had left, that they used all possible endeavors to introduce both 
into their own country ; at the same time continually preaching and railing 
against ceremonies and distinct habits of the clergy, taxing whatever they 
disliked as a remnant of Popery ; and continued exceedingly troublesome to 
the church and state, under that great queen, as well as her successor king 
James I. These people called themselves Puritans, as pretending to a purer 
faith than those of the Eslablisheil Church. And these were the founders of 
our Dissenters. They did not think it sufficient to leave all the errors of 
Popery ; but threw off" many laudable and edifying institutions of the primi- 
tive Church, and at last even the government of bishops, which, having been 
ordained by the Apostles themselves, had continued without interruption, in 
all Christian churches, for above fifteen hundred years. And all this they 
did, not because those things were evil, but because they were kept by the 
Papists. From hence they proceeded, by degrees, to quarrel with the kingly 



36 

government ; because, as I have already said, the city of Geneva, to which 
their fathers hadflotcnfor refuge, was a commonwealth, or government of 
the people." Having tlius stated the foundation and principles of Puritanism, 
the Dean proceeds with an account of its growth till the breaking out of the 
civil war; and concludes the n^irrativc as follows : " That odious Parliament, 
had first turned the bishops out of tiie House of Lorfls ; in a few years after 
they murdered their king ; then immediately abolished the whole House of 
Lords ; and so, at last, obtained their wishes, of having a goveinment of the 
people, and a new religion, both after the manner of Geneva, without a king, 
a bishop, or a nobleman; and this they blasphemously called, 'The kingdom 
of Christ and his saints.' " 

In the same way Dryden traced the origin of republicanism in England, ae 
appears from his political poem called the Hind and the Panther ; in which 
he characterizes the Romish Church under the name of the Hind, the 
English Church under that of the Panther, and the Presbyterian under that 
of the Wolf. In the following extract, the "kennel" means the city of 
Geneva ; the " puddle," its lake ; and the " wall," its rampart. 

" Theylast of all the litter scap'd by chance. 
And from Geneva first infested France. 
Some authors thus hi-s pedigree will trace ; 
But others write him of an upstart race. 
Because, of Wickliffo's brood, no mark he brings. 
But his innate antipathy to kings. 

What though your native kennel still be small, 
Bounded betwixt a puddle and a wall ? 
Yet your victorious colonies are sent, 
Where the north ocean girds the continent. 
Quicken'd with fire below, your monsters breed. 
In fenny Holland, and in fruitful Tweed ; 
And like the first, the last effects to be 
Drawn to the dregs of a democracy. 

But as the poisons of the deadliest kind 
Are to their own unhappy coasts confin'd; 
So Presbyt'ry and pestilential zeal 
Can flourish oiily in a commonweal." 



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